Swords of the Other
by Ethorin
Summary: The Grail Breaks, The Grail breaks Thrice. The Other enters a world that almost looks normal. This is a Challenge, Review to Accept!


Prologue

A strange existence, A Sword and a Book, this is an odd tale, one that would not exist in the normal weave of Fate. But those who gained their knowledge from the deepest Root are not limited by such things. And this story begins, and some would say, ends, with a creation of two such individuals, inhabited by a Curse of unsurpassed Maliciousness. So perhaps it is not so strange that it is an impossible tale, for those who have visited the Deepest Root are themselves impossibilities, even by my standards, and they are lofty indeed. But, enough of the stage, let us move on from discourse on it's impossibility and speak of the story itself. Ah, but we must start at the beginning must we not? No matter that it's beginning is merely the end of another tale, no story rests in isolation. So, let us begin.

Strangely, it was in fact a dark night, though not stormy it's atmosphere was certainly chilling. Facing against each other, too blondes stood opposed to one another, between lay the source of their conflict. A great golden goblet, glowing, a mortal standing in it's presence could only call it holy, such was the weight of it's presence. And yet, the mortal who stood behind the smaller of the pair of blondes saw it for something else. Surely, for who would order a thing of Divinity destroyed so callously? "Saber, by the power of this Command Seal, I order you, destroy the Grail".

Ah yes, the great golden goblet, the Holy Grail. Forged by two who had touched the Deepest Root, The Second and The Third, a great artifact said to be able to grant any wish. But, like all things, there was a catch. The Holy Grail War, every six decades 7 Magi would be chosen, each Magus would summon a single Servant of one of Seven Classes. Thus, the number of contestants is 14, divided into Seven teams of Two. Each Magi is given Three Absolute Commands to issue to their Servant, these Commands are single use, and kept track of by the Command Seals inscribed somewhere on the Magi's Body. Yet, this is mere background, not essential to understanding what comes next. Though, in the endless cycle, surely useful nonetheless.

And so it is that the smaller of the pair, surely this "Saber" lifts her arms, holds her great golden blade aloft, and, as she swings it, declares it's name "Excalibur!". With that declaration comes a rush of gold, the manifestation of Humanity's dream of Glory in Victory. That most perfect dream unleashed, now, all the world shall burn. For in the face of such a Perfect Thing, what can the Imperfect do but die? Yet, it is "Humanity's" dream, and so Humanity can hardly be slain by it. Such is the contradiction of that bloodstained blade.

As the Grail is burnt away, it's true face is revealed, that which the mortal saw and that infinitely greater being called "Servant" did not. But perhaps that was only natural, for after all, what but a "Human" could perceive All of Man's Evil? And can a Servant be called "Human"? Those beings who have surpassed time, and their once fellows, those pseudo-divine entities bound into a glove too small to fit. Can they truly be called "Human"? Do they truly share the nature of beings so frail they desire, no, require tools merely to survive?

No, these beings called "Servant" they cannot be called "Human" for they have reached and Surpassed the threshold that is "Mortal". And so she, though infinitely greater, is also infinitely lesser than the one who gave the command. And yet, she did not remain to witness the truth of her Master's order, for, even as the Light of Glory consumed the Grail, she, and her sword, vanished. The Light passed through the Grail, it's force scattering and sorely wounding that which hid within. But without her presence to grasp the Truth and sharpen its edge, the Light merely passed through, and through, and through. Power Lines and Gas Pipes abound in the City of Fuyuki, and it is those the Light passes through once done with the Grail. A fire. Not something to be terribly alarmed about, this one is larger than normal, but most of the city is concrete and steel, not easy to burn. But where the flame meets the Mud. Ah, there is a different story. The flame is changed. Where once simple fire burned now burns Flame, an Accursed Flame. This Cursed Fire cannot be put out by mortal means, until its Hatred is sated it shall burn, and burn, and burn.

And so it does, consuming all in it's path. Save two, one, the man who unleashed the Light, and two, a small boy, wandering in the Flame. Seeking, ever searching, a way out, Hope. But though the Flame does not burn the boy's body, his mind and soul are different. First, his memories are scorched away, burnt beyond all recall. Next, his emotions are turned to ash. Finally, even Hope is burnt away, it's small wings to weak to carry it to safety. But before the boy can give in and die, his empty eyes perceive one last image, a smile, blinding for some reason the ruin of a boy cannot discern.

That man who ordered the Grail's destruction was not an ordinary man, he was after all one of the Seven Magi chosen for the Grail War. One does not gain such a rare position by money or right of birth, but only by strength, of will, of mind, of body, of magic, no one knows the deciding factor. But this man has not long to live, the Flame does not touch him, the Smoke does not suffocate him, but he is already dead. And worse, he knows it. He was touched by the spattered Mud, the Curse of All Man's Evils in it's purest form. Its Hatred will not let him die easily. And so he wanders, in pain, alone, seeking something, anything, to salvage from the Disaster that is his life. He finds it in the Ruin of a Boy staring upward with empty eyes.

From his coat he pulls it, the tool to save this wreck of a child, a golden sheath, Avalon, the crystallization of Humankind's Wish for Utopia. And then, the sheath vanishes, dissipating into golden motes that sink into the ruin of childhood. And the dead child breathes. And our story begins.

Well, okay, no, our story actually begins a bit later… The Grail, creation of two who had witnessed that forbidden even to those like myself, has been corrupted since the Third attempt to use it. Now, it has two Lesser Grails, one corrupted nearly as badly as it itself, and one a broken girl in a ravaged body. Is it any wonder it broke?

Is it any wonder it summoned a Golden Other, a Still Darkness?

Is it any wonder it summoned fragments of those impossibilities, the Elder Gods?

Is it any wonder it summoned the Kindly Tome and Sorcerous Detective?

Servant Caster

Servant Rider

Servant Archer

Is it any wonder? Is it so wondrous it would break thrice?

AN: So, I wrote the first bit while drunk on sleep deprivation and the bit about summoning while Drunk on sleep deprivation, you know that point? Where you know you are tired but just can't sleep? Yeah, I was there for both parts. The difference, I wrote the first bit while reading Demonbane, right about the Atlach-Nacha scene, the second bit, a bit after finishing the thing and seeing both Al Azif ends (save at decision points, it is important), and then of course, I realized I had no clue how to continue the thing... Anyone who knows the canon of these two settings better than me is free to adopt this!

A note on the imagined cosmology, basically, the Swirl of the Root is Yog-Sothoth... except MORE... From the Root comes everything (including Yog) and the closer to the Root your world is located the more screwy the local rules. The various "Other" of Demonbane can only exist in a narrow band of "distance" from the Root, the particular Nasu-verses the three different tales occur in are closer to the Root than most of Nasu-verse, allowing for the "Other" to exist but far enough that the "Other" isn't exactly all there when it does. (note: at one end of the scale of Closeness to the Root you have Melancholy of Haruhi level weirdness(a random girl is "god"? constant resets? really wacked) at the other end you have a super normal world, no space bending, no wormhole shenanigans, just straight, Newtonian physics. we would be... like right on the edge, close enough to pull "Space Magic" but far enough that everything CAN be explained without getting into any conceptual bullshit.)


End file.
